Physical vs. Spiritual Death

Many Christians believe sin brought physical death into the world. Young Earth Creationists assert there was no death at all before man sinned. This view is taken from Romans 5. Let’s make the passage more explicit and then see which interpretation makes more sense:

Assuming death and life in Romans 5 are physical:

12 So then, just as sin entered the world through one man and physical death through sin, and so physical death spread to all people because all sinned— 13 for before the law was given, sin was in the world, but there is no accounting for sin when there is no law. 14 Yet physical death reigned from Adam until Moses even over those who did not sin in the same way that Adam (who is a type of the coming one) transgressed. 15 But the gracious gift is not like the transgression. For if the many physically died through the transgression of the one man, how much more did the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one man Jesus Christ multiply to the many! 16 And the gift is not like the one who sinned. For judgment, resulting from the one transgression, led to condemnation, but the gracious gift from the many failures led to justification. 17 For if, by the transgression of the one man, physical death reigned through the one, how much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in physical life through the one, Jesus Christ!

18 Consequently, just as condemnation for all people came through one transgression, so too through the one righteous act came righteousness leading to physical life for all people. 19 For just as through the disobedience of the one man many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of one man many will be made righteous. 20 Now the law came in so that the transgression may increase, but where sin increased, grace multiplied all the more, 21 so that just as sin reigned in physical death, so also grace will reign through righteousness to eternal physical life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Now let’s assume death and life in Romans 5 are spiritual (meaning separation from God now and in the future, and being reunited with God in the afterlife):

12 So then, just as sin entered the world through one man and spiritual death through sin, and so spiritual death spread to all people because all sinned— 13 for before the law was given, sin was in the world, but there is no accounting for sin when there is no law. 14 Yet spiritual death reigned from Adam until Moses even over those who did not sin in the same way that Adam (who is a type of the coming one) transgressed. 15 But the gracious gift is not like the transgression. For if the many physically died through the transgression of the one man, how much more did the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one man Jesus Christ multiply to the many! 16 And the gift is not like the one who sinned. For judgment, resulting from the one transgression, led to condemnation, but the gracious gift from the many failures led to justification. 17 For if, by the transgression of the one man, spiritual death reigned through the one, how much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in eternal life through the one, Jesus Christ!

18 Consequently, just as condemnation for all people came through one transgression, so too through the one righteous act came righteousness leading to eternal life for all people. 19 For just as through the disobedience of the one man many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of one man many will be made righteous. 20 Now the law came in so that the transgression may increase, but where sin increased, grace multiplied all the more, 21 so that just as sin reigned in spiritual death, so also grace will reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

An obvious element in Romans 5 is the symmetry between life and death: Just as sin reigned, grace will reign (v. 17); each was caused by one man (v. 15).

I do not believe interpreting death as physical death makes sense, because it breaks the symmetry. It makes more sense to interpret death as revoking man’s membership in the kingdom of God, and life as the restoration of that.

Another reason this view makes more sense is the tree of life in Genesis 3. Why would it be there in the first place, and why would it be offered, if death did not yet exist? What purpose would it serve?

Notice that you can’t respond by saying the tree was put there just in case they sinned… because as soon as they sinned it was mercifully taken away:

“And the Lord God said, “Now that the man has become like one of us, knowing good and evil, he must not be allowed to stretch out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.” (Genesis 3:22)

The tree of life offered immortality, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil offered sin. They had a choice and they chose sin. As soon as sin was introduced, the tree of life is blocked, only re-appearing at the end of Revelation – after the resurrection of the righteous.

Genesis 3:22 does not merely imply, but states that only redeemed people are immortal. People who receive judgment in the afterlife do not live forever, because according to Genesis 3:22 God is too merciful to permit such a cruel punishment. The tree of life is only offered to these:

“His servants will worship him, 4 and they will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads.” (Revelation 22:3-4)

One other important point: Let’s assume that Romans 5 is talking about all physical death, i.e. death of people and animals. Here’s how this passage then reads:

12 So then, just as sin entered the world through one man and death of people and animals through sin, and so death of people and animals spread to all people and animals because all (people and animals) sinned— 13 for before the law was given, sin was in the world, but there is no accounting for sin when there is no law. 14 Yet death of people and animals reigned from Adam until Moses even over those who did not sin in the same way that Adam (who is a type of the coming one) transgressed. 15 But the gracious gift is not like the transgression. For if the many people and animals died through the transgression of the one man, how much more did the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one man Jesus Christ multiply to the many! 16 And the gift is not like the one who sinned. For judgment, resulting from the one transgression, led to condemnation, but the gracious gift from the many failures led to justification. 17 For if, by the transgression of the one man, death of people and animals reigned through the one, how much more will those people and animals who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life of people and animals through the one, Jesus Christ!

18 Consequently, just as condemnation for all people came through one transgression, so too through the one righteous act came righteousness leading to eternal life for all people and animals. 19 For just as through the disobedience of the one man many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of one man many will be made righteous. 20 Now the law came in so that the transgression may increase, but where sin increased, grace multiplied all the more, 21 so that just as sin reigned in death of people and animals, so also grace will reign through righteousness to eternal life of people and animals through Jesus Christ our Lord.

This is why believe death was always in the world, for people and plants and animals. Immortality was only a possibility via the tree of life – which again was taken away as soon as man chose to know good and evil.